Two horses were killed in a road crash on the A1198 in Cambridgeshire this morning.

Three horses had strayed onto the carriageway in the dark and two vehicles collided with them.

Police were called to the scene at 6.20am and found one horse had been killed in the collision. Another had to be put down by a vet.

The third was not injured and was moved to a safe place.

Neither driver suffered serious injuries.

Police are still searching for the owners of the horses and do not yet know how they ended up on the road.

The road, was closed in both directions between Royston Road and School Lane and re-opened at 9.55am.

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A scheme to passport and microchip the hundreds of ponies and horses grazing illegally in Co Durham is proving a hit with the travelling community.

Initially focusing on the Bishop Auckland area, the joint initiative by Durham County Council, Durham Constabulary, the RSPCA and British Horse Society (BHS) is offering cut-price chipping and passporting on two days in January.

And places have been snapped up by the urban horse-owning community.

BHS officer for the area Wendy Suddes said: “We have such a big problem with straying horses that something has to be done.

“We are trying to be proactive — they are mostly travellers’ horses and many of them have no passport or chip.”

The passport and microchipping days will be held on 14 January at Bishop Auckland Fire Station and on 21 January at the town’s rugby club and the 25 places on the first session have already been snapped up.

The council and police are also running a scheme to capture and impound stray horses in the town.

Local police are called out approximately 300 times a year to remove horses from the public highways.

Inspector Martin Peace, of the neighbourhood policing team, said: “The problem of loose horses on the highway presents a real danger and has gone on for far too long.

“This initiative aims to make irresponsible owners realise that if they graze their horses illegally we will impound them, making it expensive to get them back.”

A private firm of livestock handlers will remove the horses.

Charges depend on how long horses are impounded, but will run into hundreds of pounds.

Asked whether the high charges would discourage people from claiming their horses, Ms Suddes added: “The problem in Bishop Auckland is particularly serious — at least 50 horses were killed by cars this year.

“Horses are already being abandoned — we have to get them off the streets.”

For more information and to book a place, contact Wendy Suddes on 07808 141005.

This article was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound, 9 December 2010

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Staffordshire Police are appealing for information after a stray pony was found close to Hilton Park Services on the M6 motorway.

The pony, a 12.2hh grey believed to be over 30 years old, was discovered at 9.30pm on 20 November.

“Police took him from the motorway to the services, and he has now been taken in by a rescue home,” a spokesman for Staffordshire Police told H&H.

“We are urging the owners to come forward, but so far we have had no information at all.”

Anyone with information should contact Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 4455, quoting reference number: 941 20/11/09

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Co Durham police rounded up dozens of horses yesterday (Thursday 26 February) after residents complained that they could cause a major road accident.

More than 50 officers taking part in ‘Operation Beausaddle’ descended on a site near Bishop Auckland and moved the animals in a fleet of articulated lorries to a secret location in what is believed to have been the biggest operation of its kind in the UK.

Their action followed reports of animals straying on to the A689 near Bishop Auckland, where motorists have reported two near-misses.

The officers sealed off a 185-acre site near the village of Hunwick just after 5am and rounded up about 40 horses and 20 sheep.

The A689 road was closed until 9.30am with all traffic diverted through the nearby village of Toronto.

Co Durham police say they evicted the herd using civil powers following agreement with the landowner, Durham County Council, Wear Valley District Council, and the RSPCA following a surge in complaints from residents who were incensed that horse owners had refused to heed warnings.

Chief Inspector Bill Dutton warned that further action was possible elsewhere in County Durham.

“Apart from being a nuisance, and the time wasted in dealing with straying horses, their presence on the roads is an increasing hazard,” he said.

“Death is the very real potential cost of not acting.

“Notices were put up to warn horse owners to move their animals from this land but they were ignored,” he said. “Warning letters were sent out to local communities asking them to remove animals — but none were taken away.

“I hope today’s action sends a strong warning to irresponsible horse owners who think they can flout the law.”

MP for North-West Durham, Hilary Armstrong, said she backed the police’s action.

“I am very pleased the police have tackled the long-standing problem of stray horses in this area,” she said.

“They are a menace to local people and this operation demonstrates that owners should take responsibility and that, if they don’t, there will be consequences.”

The horses’ owners will now need to produce a horse passport to claim their animals back and will also have to pay a heavy fine.

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The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is calling for a nationwide scheme to tackle the issue of stray horses on the road network.

In early 2007, in conjunction with Horse & Hound, the British Horse Society (BHS), the Chief Fire Officers Association, the Association of Chief Police Officers and BEVA launched the Emergency Services Protocol (ESP) — a national guideline for all those involved in animal rescues, clarifying responsibilities and procedures (news, 5 April 2007).

BEVA senior vice-president Professor Josh Slater said the protocol had made “tremendous progress” throughout the country including training in rescue techniques for firefighters and vets and a nationwide equine veterinary directory enabling Highways Agency (HA) officers to locate a nearby vet.

An Equine Rescue Fund, to cover emergency vet fees when the owner cannot be traced, has also been established.

“There is real energy and momentum behind the initiative,” said Mr Slater. “The single area that remains a challenge is stray horses because they fall between the various groups that are involved.”

According to the HA, around 200 incidents each year involve strays on the roads. One of the main issues is that the majority of horses involved in these incidents are not injured, and therefore neither the fire service nor a vet would be called. The HA is first on the scene but, unlike firefighters and vets, officers are not trained in animal handling, so need assistance.

HA spokesman Alison Smith explained: “Our traffic officers, many of whom are unused to handling horses, may find it difficult to deal with a distressed animal.

“The majority of strays are healthy and are removed from the network by us with assistance from police, owners, local farmers or members of the public.”

She added: “Injured horses can result in longer delays on the roads and become more stressed the longer they remain on the highway.”

But the HA’s work to date has relied on local cooperation. Responsibility for catching the horse and where it can be taken once caught are still unresolved.

Anne Catchpole, BEVA’s marketing executive for ESP, says that on a congested road network, the problem is not just a concern for horse owners.

“It has become a hot topic because there is no one to take responsibility and roads can be closed for hours,” she said. “We need a national scheme set up to determine where the horse goes and how, and basic horse training for HA officers.”

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, which heads the ESP training, has already agreed to instigate HA officer training, and BEVA is pushing the idea of “green yards” which are already operating successfully in some areas of the country.

Incoming BEVA president Chris House said: “Currently, police tend to put strays in the nearest field, which just transfers the problem off the road and on to the landowner.”

The idea of a green yard is that each region would have a place that can shelter horses until the owner collects them.

“But the problem is there is not enough funding or political will to deal with it through the local authorities,” said Mr House.

For more information on the Emergency Services Protocol, or to donate to the Equine Rescue Fund, visit www.beva.org.uk.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (8 January, ’09)

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Thames Valley Police officers have are to receive training from the Horse Trust to help them deal safely with stray horses.

In the free one-hour session officers will be taught how to approach an animal, make a temporary halter and lead them away from danger.

When the officers are competent with handling the animals they will be given a certificate and will be issued with their own head collar and rope to keep in their patrol vehicle.

Helen Evans from the Neighbourhood Horse Watch team, said: “The training provides officers with handling skills so they can act competently and safely when called out to deal with horses on the highways.

“Horses can be unpredictable animals, especially when they are distressed, so it is essential that officers know how to deal with them confidently.

“The training will mean that police officers are more able to help the public and keep the roads clear.”

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A horse and pony warden is to be introduced in Cardiff to deal with stray animals roaming the city’s streets.

The council is to spend £40,000 a year to pay for a member of staff and equipment needed to round up the strays, which are tethered to graze all round the council’s open spaces.

Owners will be charged a £75 pick-up fee and £15-a-day livery to get their horses back. Further details of how the role will work are still to be finalised.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (20 March, ’08)

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Three loose horses on the M25 in Essex halted rush hour traffic this morning.

The horses had strayed from a field beside the M25 between junctions 27 and 28. They were wandering across the anti-clockwise carriageway when the Highways Agency, responsible for policing the M25, were alerted.

“We received a call around 8.35am, and were able to attend immediately and close off both carriageways,” a spokesman from the Highways Agency told H&H.

“With the help of Essex police we rounded the horses up and put them back in the field.”

The M25 was reopened by 9.30am, and Highways Agency contractors repaired the fence to stop the three horses straying again.

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Norfolk Police have linked up with Britain’s largest horse welfare charity, Redwings, in a pioneering initiative to deal with stray horses. A team of experienced horse handlers from Redwings Horse Sanctuary, Long Stratton will now be on-call round the clock to help police officers when a stray horse’s owners cannot be traced.

“I believe Norfolk Police are the first Police force in the country to approach a charity for help of this kind,” said Nicola Markwell, spokeswoman for Redwings. “We’ve worked together a couple of times in the past and it has been very successful so we have formalised the arrangements.”

This new partnership will put a stop to situations where police officers with no previous equine experience have had to round up stray animals and stay with them for several hours while their owners are being traced. Often stray horses are not used to being handled and controlling them can be very difficult.

The way police handle incidents of escaped or abandoned horses will not change; the first priority will still be to try and track the owner, either through Farm Watch or people with local knowledge. But failing this, police will now benefit from the help of Redwings’ experts with professional equipment to round up horses and a safe location to house them.

Inspector Gary Crowther from Norfolk Police said: “The scheme enables the horse to be recovered safely, no-one is hurt in the process and the animal is reunited with the owner. If necessary we would also deal with any offences relating to horses straying onto the carriageway putting road-users in danger.”

According to Redwings, horses (particularly stallions) often stray because of unsuitable or damaged fencing but there have been a number of cases where gates have been opened deliberately.

“It is an offence to allow a horse to stray on the highway,” warned Markwell, adding that in the case of negligence, owners will be required to pay all the costs of Redwings’ service.

Redwings chief executive, Lynn Cutress hopes the new agreement will increase the safety of both equines and the public. “We are delighted to be working with Norfolk police to protect equines and promote animal welfare in such a practical way,” she said.

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